Emotional regulation
Occupational therapist Matthew Gomes is working with pupils with autism . Here he reflects on introducing a new programme to teach pupils strategies to manage their emotions
© GettyImages / Nazan Akpolat
Managing our emotions is essential to accessing pretty much every occupation once we leave infancy . Emotional regulation is something that pupils with autism really struggle with . It is one of the reasons why , historically , exclusion rates for pupils with autism have been higher in mainstream secondary schools , compared with children with other intellectual disabilities and those who are neurotypical .
Emotional regulation is also one of the great occupational barriers to long-term employment , wellbeing and good mental health .
It is for these very reasons that The Rise School in Feltham was created . The school provides a mainstream education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder ( ASD ), many of whom have struggled with emotional regulation in mainstream settings .
As Leah Kuypers ( 2011 ) implores , if you give any pupil the right tools they can flourish in life .
The Zones of Regulation ( ZoR ) is an18- lesson programme developed by the American occupational therapist Leah Kuypers ( 2011 ), to teach pupils strategies to manage their emotions .
The strategies that the programme reinforces include a synthesis of sensory supports , calming techniques and thinking strategies . Pupils record these in a simple toolbox worksheet , listing which strategy to use when pupils are in one of the four zones .
Having met with my line manager , it was agreed that I would lead a group of eight primary school pupils in a class , for one hour sessions across a 12-week term . The programme was slimlined and lessons condensed from 18 to 12 , for ease of delivering them across one term .
46 OTnews December 2020